Vacuum-tube electric apparatus.



PATENTED MAY 2l D. Mol?. MOORE. VACUUM TUBE BLEGTRIG'APPARATUS.

APPLIGATION FILED FEB. 7, 1906.

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No. 854,300. PATENTED MAY 21, 1907.

D. MOP. MOORE.

VACUUM TUBE ELECTRIC APPARATUS.

APPLIoA'rIoN FILED rms. v, 1906.

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F I /l /Nl/ENTR AnaB/V515 UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEroE.

DANIEL MCEARLAN MOORE, or NEWARK, NEwJERsEY, AssiGNoR To vMOOREELECTRICAL COMPANY TION OF NEW YORK.

, or NEW YORK, N. Y.A ooRroEA- vAcuuwl-TUBE ELECTRIC #inname/wus.

specification of Letters Intent. l

` Patented may 21, i907.4

Application filed February 7, 1906. Serial No. 299,886.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that'I, DANIEL MCFARLAN MOORE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a residentof Newark, in the county of' Essex tube or vapor.electric lamps, vvacuum or fers X-ray tubes, vacuum oscllvapor rectilographs, wireless telegraph receivers i -and other devices which areprovided with suitable electric terminalsjwhereby.electric en-- ergy maybe passed through the gaseous contents of the tube for an purpos'eandwhich' 4generally may be classi ed under the head of vacuum tubes.

'The object of myinvention is to provide means whereby vthe gaseoustension or condition' within the tube may be automaticallykept uniformor constant by the operation of a valve which regulates the liow of agas or vapor to the tube and is opened to supply more gas when thevaccum within the tube,

gets higher or the condition or quality of the gas therein changes forany reason, as for in stance, by the action of the'electric energy uponthe gaseous contents.

The invention consists in thenovel comy bination of devices comprising avalve chamber closed by a spring dlaphragmV and a valve -acted upon bysaid diaphragm and also by a core or other movableportion of anelectromagnet whose power varies with changesin the electricalresistance of the gas or vapor in the tube due to changes of gas orvapor tension.

I have shown my'invention as carried out by an organization orcombination in-which the vacuumtube is operated by alternating currentsand the valve is actuated by'4 changes in the magnetic condition of atransformer, the secondary of which supplies energy to the tube.` Theinvention, however,

may be carried out in connection with tubes operated .by directcurrents, an electromagnet of pro er kind being used and being connectedwit the circuit lof thetube so as i to feel the effect of -anychange inresistance between the terminals thereof. l

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a partial side elevation andvertical section of `the transformer and valve together with aportion'of th'e vacuum tube. Y' Fig. 2is a general diagram of circuitsand apparatus.

I have shown my invention and described:

the same :as applied to a vacuum tube lamp,

although, it is likewise `applicable t'o other vacuum tubes.-

i 1- indicates the'v vacuum tube lamp and 2 .the `energy transferringelectrodes or termianais thereof through which energy ,is conveyed tothe gaseous contents of the tube from the secondary 3. of thetransformer,l the primary 4 of which .is connected to suitableconstantpotential alternating current mains 5 as shown in the diagram.Theenergy may be transferred tothe tube by either external or internalelectrodes as well understoodin the art. The transformer is `preferablyof the shell type, although, it would be within my invention to useother types orlforms of transformer. Air or other gas is su plied 'tothe tube in regulated quantity to eep the gas tensionconstant throughthe tube 6 vof which there may be as many applied to the tube 1 and atsuch points as may4 be found convenient in practice, the iiow of gasthrough said tube being .controlled by a valve connection to them' or byseparate valves as desired.` l

My present invention is designed more particularly to affordmeans-whereby a gas may be supplied to the tube from aftank or gasholder and for this purpose' I employ the construction of valve now tobe described4 in whichthere is a valve chamber closed by a metallic orspring diaphragm, which spring diaphragm cooperates with 4the weight ofthe movable core of .the transformer or other movable mass. of ironsubject to changes in the magnetic condition of the transformer to keepthe valve closed. v l

8 shows the valve casing or chamber hav- 'ing inserted at its bottom.the erforated plug-7 bored centrally and tapered) at its upper endWhere it forms a valve seatfor a lock or other shaped piece 9 consistingpref- IOO erably of vulcanized rubber. The plug or.

tened by a washer'11 to the end offa head 13` carrying block 9. Thevalve chamber or casing is suitably supported by the depending arms orbrackets 14 attached to the transformer body. The core or portion of thecore 15 of said transformer is made mov- `able and comprises a bundle ofwires or laminae and has4 the head 13 suitably fastened to it. The weiht of the core assisted by the spring of the (Iiaphragm 10 normallykeeps the valve closed. Leading from the valve chamber is a tube 16which is preferably a flexible tube and is coupled' as shown to tube 6.Connected to the plug 7is a tube y17 which may be joined to a tank orcylinder ofthe gas used in the vacuum tube. Obviously the gas may passin either direction, fi. e., from tube 17 to tube 16 or from tube 16 totube 17 through the valve. In the latter case, the connections to thetank and tube ,will be'simply reversed.

' In the operation of the apparatus, the transformer supplies, throughits high tension secondary', energy suitable for rendering the gaseouscontents of tube 1 luminous, andso long as the adjusted tension of gasor air in the tube is maintained, the valve will lremain seated. As iswell known, there is a 'critical tension or degree of vacuum in the tubeat which the resistance to the passage of yelectric energy through thegas from one electrode to the other of the tube is at its lowest.

If thevacuum increased beyond this critical point, 'the resistanceincreases and the 'current falls. tube below the degree of vapor or gastension at which the resistance and current change from a decreasingvalue of resistance and increasing value of current to an increasingvalue of resistance and decreasing value of current, but .for economythe degree of vacuum should be maintained as near as ossible to thepoint Where the resistance is least, ,though sufficiently below suchpoint to avoid the vpossibilityof changes of tension extendlin Vover tothe degree where the resistance wi l increase with an increase of thevacuum.

When then the tension orcondition within the tube changes so as to lowerthe resistancev to the passage of the alternating currents from thesecondary through the tube, more energy is taken from the mains, the

`magnetic condition of .the transformer changes and an increased pull isexerted upon the core 15 sufficient to overcome the gra'vity of the sameand the action of diaphragm 10 so thatv the valve will be momentarilyand slightly o ened. This will permit a small amount o air or other gasto enter the tube 6 I or regulated quantities.

It is preferable to operate the and flow to the vacuum tube, thusrestoring the gaseous tension or condition therein, whereupon theresistance Within the same will rise slightly and the valve willthereupon be permitted to close. By the repeated actions of the valvetaking place as changes in the condition of the tube 1 require, apractically constant gaseous condition within the tube will bemaintained through the feeding of the gas into the same inminute,adjusted As will be seen, my invention enables me to dispense with theuse of separate regulating magnets independent of the transformer whichis the arrangement described in another application for p atent filed byme, whereby I combine in one instrument both the means for supplyingenergy to` the tube and the means for regulating the tension of the gasto which lthe energy is supplied.

In the foregoin description and in the claims a pended, Ile term gas isto be understoo as includinl the aeriform condition of any, solid orliquic and commonly known as vapor.

The vcombination of a. vacuum4 tube, a

transformer and a valve controlling the feed in the magnetic conditionof the transformer is not claimed herein as this organization of devicesis claimed inmy co-pending applicationfor patent )Sled Feb. .7th, 1906,S. N. 299,885.

While I have referred herein to the use of a tank ,in connection withthe valve and vacuum tube, the same organization isdescribed in myapplication for patent iled Apr. 2nd, 1906, S. N. 309,283 and thereforeno claim is made thereto in thepresent appli.- cation.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. The combination of a vacuum tube, a valve chamber closed by a springdiaphragm, a valve acted upon by said diaphragm in a direction to keethe valve closed and means responsive to c anges in the gaseous condi-ytion within the tube for lifting4 thevalve.-

2. The combination of a vacuum tube, a valve controlling the ksupply ofa gas to said tube, a valve chamber closed by a spring diaphragm whichis connected to the valve and tends to keep the same closed and atransformer supplying energy to the tube .and'having a movable coreconnected with the valve and adapted to open the'same by an increase inthe magnetic pull on said core.

3. The combination of a vacuum tube, a valve controlling the supply of agas to said tube, a valve chamber closed by a spring diaphragm tendin tokeep the valve closed, 'a transformer an( means responsive to changes inthe magnetic condition thereof for actuating the valve to open the sameand admit gas to the tube.

' l1. The combination of a vacuum tube, a

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Signed at New York 'in the county of New York and State of New York this22d day of January'A. D. 1906.

valve Controlling the supply ofy gas to said tube, a valve chamber, a.spring diaphragm closing the chamber and connected to the valve, and anactuating electro magnet oper- DANIEL MCFARLAN MOORE. 5 ating on thedialphragm and valve in response Witnesses:

to changes in t e electrical resistance of the C. F. TISCHNER,` Jr.,|

gas or vapor Within the v acuum tube. LILLIAN BLOND.

